I've been hunting with climbers for a long time and, for most situations, are the best way to go in my opinion. Find a good spot, scout a good tree and get as high as you can and still be effective.

Lugging stuff in and out is not much fun and definitely makes you weight conscious of everything you carry. A good climber weighs about 20lbs so take that into consideration, especially if you knock one down.

Although it’s very tempting I wouldn’t recommend leaving a climber in the woods, even if it’s locked up. I’ve had two stolen from me off a private farm that bordered public hunting lands; one time it was locked up and the other it was not. I guess I thought the first time was a fluke and finally woke up after the second.